The modern job market is skewed towards the job-seeker. There are multiple roles, scores of opportunities, and candidates are looking at positions that genuinely foster talent, morale, engagement, and retention.
As a result, not a lot of people are constantly looking for new roles - unless something truly of value, is offered. Add to this, the skill gap that exists across the board, and an all-time low in unemployment, leading to significant hiring challenges.
If you're part of a recruiting team, what's the best place to initiate this process of connect and engagement?
To begin with, consider the candidate as someone who's a lot like you. Application processes are complex, the journey from the first round of interview to the final selection and eventual induction is a layered one, and 'experience management' is a key factor which could hugely impact engagement, and later retention.
Remember, the people who you would want to hire are smart, demanding, and self-aware. They are aware of what's happening in the world around them - and if you can offer a good experience they would want to work with you. On the flip side, if bridges are burnt, and experience is mismanaged, they could publicly post comments on social media, (think Glassdoor, CareerLeak, and Vault), and will eventually look for other favorable opportunities.
So, what do you to ensure the candidate is engaged and enthused? Are there ways to simplify and enhance application processes and make an applicant feel at home, and at ease?
Here are 5 simple ways to deliver a great candidate experience:
1. Ensure the job is easy to find
A single click from the home page to the company's careers page is all that's needed. Importantly, place the link on your homepage, in a way which makes it easy to locate - like your navigation menu, with the careers page in itself, a simpler, richer, and smarter user experience. Or, you could present job ads in the form of videos, like recruitment firm Digi-Me.
It also helps to specifically target underrepresented segments. Infomart, for example, uses cutting-edge technology to reach and engage the widest possible candidate pool – with explicit support for gender non-binary applicants.
2. Contain form submission timelines
Complicated and laborious fields, with several convoluted answering spaces, are always a deterrent for candidates; Get all the information you need, but make it a system that's fast, intuitive and responsive. 25 or 30-page applications are a sure way to lose a candidate. That’s why AllyO uses AI to automate the entire process – and their solution Ally reports a ‘strongly positive’ candidate feedback rate of 81%.
3. Make it personal
Avoid jaded and now near-redundant questions; choose a more personal and human approach to asking questions, that help to explore the candidate's preferences, reasons for choosing this role, and the larger background that's part of his skill-set, expertise, and experiences.
ActiView proposes a differentiated approach, doing away with questions altogether, instead recreating job scenarios in a VR-powered simulated environment.
4. Enable a mobile-first model
There's no denying this shift. Today, the job applicant is consistently looking new positions, roles, and opportunities on their phones. Emails are answered, plans are made, and applicants prefer to apply and scroll through a job-feed on-the-go., across locations. One-click application buttons, a form that's within 7-10 fields, and a timed response mechanism (around 90 seconds to 2 min) is what would work.
In fact, recruitment media company Nexxt found that 65% active job seekers use their smartphones at least once a day to look for positions. That’s why they recently teamed up with TextRecruit, a mobile-first candidate engagement firm.
5. Write a nice auto response, that's vibrant and organic.
This is the most human side of the application process. Most candidates often feel a sense of uncertainty after an application - did it hit the right note, or did it get lost in the heap, falling down some rabbit hole?
JobAlign takes this one step further, making it possible to hire hourly workers with a simple text. This ensures candidates remain engaged and do not leave the funnel. Forget about a staid and conservative tone, and sound bright and involved. Write with finesse, and add a touch of panache and maybe, some creativity.
Source: HR Technologist
As a result, not a lot of people are constantly looking for new roles - unless something truly of value, is offered. Add to this, the skill gap that exists across the board, and an all-time low in unemployment, leading to significant hiring challenges.
If you're part of a recruiting team, what's the best place to initiate this process of connect and engagement?
To begin with, consider the candidate as someone who's a lot like you. Application processes are complex, the journey from the first round of interview to the final selection and eventual induction is a layered one, and 'experience management' is a key factor which could hugely impact engagement, and later retention.
Remember, the people who you would want to hire are smart, demanding, and self-aware. They are aware of what's happening in the world around them - and if you can offer a good experience they would want to work with you. On the flip side, if bridges are burnt, and experience is mismanaged, they could publicly post comments on social media, (think Glassdoor, CareerLeak, and Vault), and will eventually look for other favorable opportunities.
So, what do you to ensure the candidate is engaged and enthused? Are there ways to simplify and enhance application processes and make an applicant feel at home, and at ease?
Here are 5 simple ways to deliver a great candidate experience:
1. Ensure the job is easy to find
A single click from the home page to the company's careers page is all that's needed. Importantly, place the link on your homepage, in a way which makes it easy to locate - like your navigation menu, with the careers page in itself, a simpler, richer, and smarter user experience. Or, you could present job ads in the form of videos, like recruitment firm Digi-Me.
It also helps to specifically target underrepresented segments. Infomart, for example, uses cutting-edge technology to reach and engage the widest possible candidate pool – with explicit support for gender non-binary applicants.
2. Contain form submission timelines
Complicated and laborious fields, with several convoluted answering spaces, are always a deterrent for candidates; Get all the information you need, but make it a system that's fast, intuitive and responsive. 25 or 30-page applications are a sure way to lose a candidate. That’s why AllyO uses AI to automate the entire process – and their solution Ally reports a ‘strongly positive’ candidate feedback rate of 81%.
3. Make it personal
Avoid jaded and now near-redundant questions; choose a more personal and human approach to asking questions, that help to explore the candidate's preferences, reasons for choosing this role, and the larger background that's part of his skill-set, expertise, and experiences.
ActiView proposes a differentiated approach, doing away with questions altogether, instead recreating job scenarios in a VR-powered simulated environment.
4. Enable a mobile-first model
There's no denying this shift. Today, the job applicant is consistently looking new positions, roles, and opportunities on their phones. Emails are answered, plans are made, and applicants prefer to apply and scroll through a job-feed on-the-go., across locations. One-click application buttons, a form that's within 7-10 fields, and a timed response mechanism (around 90 seconds to 2 min) is what would work.
In fact, recruitment media company Nexxt found that 65% active job seekers use their smartphones at least once a day to look for positions. That’s why they recently teamed up with TextRecruit, a mobile-first candidate engagement firm.
5. Write a nice auto response, that's vibrant and organic.
This is the most human side of the application process. Most candidates often feel a sense of uncertainty after an application - did it hit the right note, or did it get lost in the heap, falling down some rabbit hole?
JobAlign takes this one step further, making it possible to hire hourly workers with a simple text. This ensures candidates remain engaged and do not leave the funnel. Forget about a staid and conservative tone, and sound bright and involved. Write with finesse, and add a touch of panache and maybe, some creativity.
Source: HR Technologist